Terraria- A Dark Planet
by Corroded Vortex
Summary: The world is being torn apart, a power vacuum has started. Races and kingdoms alike ravage the land for glory. And amongst them all, is a kid, who couldn't be any more lost
1. Prologue

The flash of light disappears, my skin on fire. Lightning flashes, it's sharp body zipping above in the dark clouds. A loud whining in my ears, my vision blurry. Most of my muscles, already exhausted, stop working, I lose flight. I begin to fall, my back facing the corrupted earth below. I can't feel my left arm, parts of my chest burning to charred flesh. My wings flap limply above me, smoke trailing from ember feathers. The massive tyrant roars, it's exposed ribs vibrating intensely. It's minions below shriek in approval, their claws and teeth waiting to catch me, tear me apart. I plummet, losing grip of my sword. Wind whips my hair around, pieces of my armor detach, I'm losing consciousness. My lungs twitch, losing air. My mouth hangs open, I taste blood. My eyes start to roll into the back of my head, my heart failing. _Is this; how I die? _I have much more, I need to stay awake. I fight, I've come so far. The edges of my mind corrode away, images flash past of everyone, smiling faces, false hopes, forgotten fears. But it was short, torn away like a child from their mother. Someone screams my name, but it's drowned out by the hum of utter silence. The tyrant opens its mouth, a snakelike tongue springs out. It rushes through the sky, reaching out for me. I feel it, warm and wet, the smell of blood. It grips hard, I feel my body get yanked. _Goodbye everyone, I won't be here for it, but I hope you will all survive. _I voluntarily close my eyes, my last chances of living taken away. I accept my fate. _I don't. _A voice, loud and present. _What?_

I gasp, my body firing alive. Muscles work together, lifting my torso up. My hands reach out, bracing for a fall. They land on soft grass, I freeze. I take a few seconds to stay sitting up, my mind blurry. I can't remember anything, a light breeze whips at colorful and vibrant flowers. Clouds, white and fluffy, roll in the blue sky overhead. Distant mountains littered with trees and waterfalls line the horizon, the sun high in the sky. My mouth feels parched, like it was open. My body aches, I feel a small bug crawl over my fingers. A white bunny hops by, stopping to look at me. If sniffs, it's black eyes large and soulless. It's ears rear back, it jumps away. I watch it go, not hearing the footsteps behind me. It hops into a bush, the leaves rustle as it squished itself under branches. Black shoes stop, a voice speaks out. "Hey." My body stiffens, I whip my head around. The sun partially blinds me, I squint. A silhouette stands, the outline of a person. He kneels over, blocking the sun out. A bow and quiver resting on his back, a satchel full of strange colored mushrooms attached to his side. Blue jeans, and olive shirt. Brown hair, a worried face. "What are you doing sleeping out here?" I take a second to look around, the rabbit takes it chance to escape, it's white fur waving in the wind as it bounds away. "Hey, are you ok?" My mouth opens, still a little dry. "I." I think of the words to use, but I don't know what to say. "I don't know."


	2. Chapter 1

Voices chatter, a sense of unease. I tap my fingers angrily, nobody is listening to me. My advisors stand still, not wanting to deal with this. "Hey." I try for a commanding voice, nobody listens. The entire hall is filled with lords, generals, nobles. All of them worried, confused, scared. "Hey!" Some stop, but they go back to murmuring. One of my advisors lean in, his purple clothes shining in the bright candlelight. "My lord, if this continues, panic will start to spread." I nod, waving him away. My personal guard try their best to squeeze everyone in, my father never had to deal with this many. I stand up, clearing my throat. "ENOUGH!" My booming voice silences everyone, the flames in the candles flicker. Nobles watch, lords look annoyed, but I have their attention. "I called everyone here." I sit down, glad to be back on my throne. "To strategize against the invasion, not to start rumors." I go silent for a moment, waiting as if something was supposed to happen. "Now." My advisors move forward, each holding pieces of different colors. I signal a guard standing off to the side, he answers by flipping a switch. The ground in front of me splits open, a grinding noise as a large map on a table pushes upward.

"Here is the situation, we are in a crisis." The advisors set down the pieces, sorting them into corresponding positions. "There is an army coming, from the northwest. I get up again, placing my hand on the board. "From what our scouts are reporting, it's around 180,000 soldiers, their entire army. More murmurs start, I wave to silence them. A rainstorm starts outside, drips colliding with stain glass windows. "I need everyone in this room to prepare their villages, prepare their towns, for war." I grab a silver colored piece from an advisor. "Willard!?" A voice answers from the crowd. "Yes your lordship?" "I need you and your men to create a barricade in the desert pass." I grab two more pieces, placing beside Willard's piece. "Latios and Aphrodite will accompany you, I need you to move out in three days." "Yes sir." _23,000 men, they will be outnumbered almost eight to one, it's a suicide mission. But my father has worked hard on this country, I won't let it fall so soon. _"Jackson." "Yes?" "You will stay back to guard the capital, you will be the last line of defense." I catch the relief in his eyes, he has never been the type to want glory. "Richard and Arcturus, you will hide in the mountains, flank their army I'd they get past Willard." They almost agree simultaneously, their strange green colored hair with flowers shift as they salute. _It isn't good enough, we need one more. _I grab the last piece, a golden knight, placing it in the middle. "The final part, we need to find the fallen hero." The murmurs start, some are snickering. I expected this, nobody has seen the fallen in a millennium. I wave over my best advisor, he grabs a tainted book from his sleeves. "Listen!"

They quiet down, most eyes lock onto the opened book. "My scribes have been working day and night to decipher this language, and it has been foretold that the fallen is on the planet again." Someone in the crowd speaks up, his voice raspy. "What makes you think they'll help us?" I grip the table, looking at the rain outside. They have to, or we might not win this. My memory flashes in my head. "Where is Lunette?" Some look around, but a hand raises in the crowd. "Here!" "Come up to the front." A head with green hair pushes past others, she makes her way up. She finally pops through the front nobles, standing up straight. "Hello princess." She stays straight up, keeping her back straight. "Hello sir." Some laugh, but they die out under my gaze. "I want to personally thank you for your father accepting an alliance between our two races, but I'm afraid I must ask that you do something for me."

Lunette looks straight into my eyes, it's obvious her father made her practice good manners. She might be almost twenty times older than me, but she has never left the jungle before, even now she constantly peeks at random trinkets and objects of interest. "I need you to find the fallen, and convince him to come here." Her eyes widen, her pose loosens. "But how-." I silences her, she shuts her mouth. "We have a good idea where they are, it will be a long trip though." I grab a map, marking a spot outside our borders. "You will search for them here, follow the mountain pass, loop around the border country, and find a remote village, in a large valley." She grabs the map, studying it. "But how do I look for him?" "The fallen is not of this world, entities will be drawn to them, whether it be friend or foe. You will know who they are, just by a glance." She looks back at the map, lightning crackles outside. "Sir, I won't let you down." I stand up straight, the room vibrates from the thunder. "Good, leave when the storm dies down." I pick up the golden knight, holding it out in front of me. "As for the rest of you, those with people in the path of the invading army, evacuate immediately, burn supplies, abandon the place." "Those who are not help supply our defending armies, help keep the fight in them." "Dismissed!" The royal guards open the doors, some nobles reluctantly step out into the rain. The generals shove past, pacing to their barracks, ready to spread the news. I sit down, looking at the golden knight, twirling it in my fingers. The hall empties quickly, only three Dryads standing alone. The two generals nod at Lunette. She looks confused, but lightly nods back. I clasp the handle attached to my scabbard, feeling an energy flow through my fingers. _This is a disaster, we are not ready. _I look at Lunette, hope filling up. _Please kerabaya above, bless us to make it through this fight._


	3. Chapter 2

The world feels like it's tilting, my body creaks with every step. The light breeze feels chilling, my shoes getting soaked. Tall trees blot out most of the sky, but the sun's rays pierce through. The man in front of me keeps a steady pace, he constantly checks where the sun is. "So." He takes a peek back, eyeing how tattered my clothes are. "What were you doing out in the wilderness?" I grip my hands, they feel crusty from dirt. "I, I don't know." "Remember anything from last night?" My mind feels cold, nothing there. The man takes another look at the sun, he grips his bow. "I don't, I can't remember anything." He looks back at me, thinking about something. "Oh, I'm Ryan, I never gave a name." "Ok Ryan, where are we going?" He grabs his bow, his body becomes less tense with it in his hands. "I stumbled upon you while I was collecting mushrooms for potions, you shouldn't be out here in the wilderness by yourself." I stop to tie my shoes, looking at small flowers amongst the grass. "But you are out here by yourself." He rolls his eyes. "I have something to defend myself, you do not." "What is out here that's dangerous, I've only seen bunnies out here." He stops completely, I almost run into him. He wheels around, his face confused. "You really have never been here before, have you." I shrug. "That's what I keep telling you." He takes one more look at the sun, it's bottom touching the mountains far away.

He grabs my hand. "We need to hurry." I'm yanked along, my legs start to burn. "What, why?" The first stars appear in the sky, the sun lowers behind the mountains. I try to make him let go, plant my feet in the ground. The grass shakes, something stops my foot. Ryan stops, grabbing an arrow from his quiver mid-spin. "That's why!" He draw back the bow string, the thing pulls on my foot. I look down, a face, in the ground. It's eyes pale like marble, the skin a horrible green pale color. The smell fills my nose, I gag. The undead gurgles, it's maw opening. A snapping noise, a whistle, an arrow pierces it's skull. The head snaps back, it stops moving. "Run!" I look up, Ryan breaks off toward a dense wall of trees, the ground starts to break apart. Groans and shrieks rupture from cracks in the soil, I run.

The moon rises, bringing its silver light through the forest. I jump over a living body, it tries to free itself from tree roots. Ryan fires into the darkness, a meaty noise answers him. I follow his footprints the best I can, breathing heavily. I look to my left, silhouettes move between the tree trunks, appearing and disappearing between the growth. Noises echo through the forest, a horde of reaching hands and gnashing teeth follow in pursuit. I turn around a tree, running straight into one. It grabs my arms, it's mouth opening. Maggots burrow in its tongue, the teeth a heavy brown. It bites at my neck, I try to shove it away. It lunges, I grab it by the arm, swinging hard. It doesn't try to stop me, it's head slams against the trunk. The wood shudders, leaves fall around us. I kick its chest, it topples over. Something grips my shoulder, I pry myself from its grip.

My feet find the floor, not wasting time. Ryan fires at something behind me, I feel blood drops hit my back. "Hurry!" I realize he's at a door, the room inside fit for defense. Windows barred, wood walls reinforced. I take a peek back, my feet moving faster than I thought they could. Many dead people stagger toward me, they reach out, groaning, gurgling. Ones in the shadows, their white eyes reflect off the moonlight. The eyes are everywhere, staring blankly, no soul behind them. I run into the lit room, firelight blinds me. Ryan slams the door shut behind me, working on several locks. He backs up, there is a few seconds of silence. He draws an arrow, aiming at the door. I back up, quiet noise of barren feet walking on dirt outside. More groaning, but they start to die down. Ryan lets out a breath he was holding. "They're leaving." I sit on the floor, my legs are burning. He looks out one of the windows, squinting in the darkness. Nothing lunges out, noting of terrifying origin. "We should be ok, for now." I take a few seconds to catch my breath, Ryan sets his satchel on a table. "What were those things." He takes a quick look at me, thinking about something again. "You don't want to know."


	4. Chapter 3

"We you be alright?" I grab my bag, the storm outside fading away into darkness. "I'll be fine, my father didn't teach me for months for nothing." The two dryad generals stand aside the entrance, an army of my people just outside. "Remember, you don't know combat, so stay away from anything that looks unfriendly." I wave them away, picking a flower off my hair. "You two get back to preparing your armies, I'll handle my part." They say nothing, but the noise their armor makes behind me indicted them nodding.

I hold my hand out, the last drops of the rain hit my palm. I take one last look at my map, clouds cover the moon. _Well, here goes nothing. _

I open my eyes, Ryan extinguishes the fireplace. I sit up, I must have passed out on the floor last night. My legs ache, but they feel better than yesterday. My hand bumps a dresser, Ryan looks over. "You're awake." "What happened?" Ryan kicks coals around, smoke leaks out. "Zombies are what happened." Some memories from last night come back, I feel on my back. Three stains, the blood crusted. "Why were they underground, why so many?" Ryan grabs some of the mushrooms he harvested, mashing them to powder in a mortar. "Here's a rundown." He reaches into a drawer, pulling out a bottle. He sets it on the desktop, I stand up. Inside, a strange plant. The leaves twist and curl, spines line it's stem. The air around it a dark smoke, but what stranded out the most is the color. It's purple. "This is a plant, from a corrupted origin." "Corruption?" "Yes, there used to be a great civilization living on this planet, made entirely of humans." He adds water and a sticky substance into the powder mushroom, setting the bowl above a small nozzle. He twists a knob, using a match to light a small flame.

"They had advanced technology, medicine, leaderships, even space travel." The mixture starts to bubble, the red parts of the mushroom start to bleed into the water. "What happened to them?" "Gone, they created the corruption, a way to clean their world of their trash and mistakes, but it was an infection, it took over the body, setting the mind back to zero." "Actually." He grabs the jar with the purple plant. "I could boil this down, the scent of it would attract many unfriendly individuals." He turns off the burner, pouring the red solution into a beaker. He hands it over, placing the jar back into the dresser. "Drink this." I stare into the solution, it doesn't look appetizing. "What does it do?" "Trust me"

It tastes disgusting, a salty, sour taste. I almost bring it back up, but I drink the rest of it. I feel sick. Ryan takes the beaker from me, I take a second to bring my mind back from chaos. But all the a being stops, cuts and bruises from the zombie bubble, then disappear. "Get ready." I feel my arm, the skin is smooth. "Wait, why?" Ryan grabs his bow. "Because, I'm not going to babysit you." He opens the door slowly, something jumps at him. He slams the door shut. "Hey can you fight?" I look around. "I don't have a weapon." He grabs something from the bottom of a bin, some trash spills out. "Take this." He throws a piece of leather, I catch it. Immediately I feel something inside, a handle sticks out of one end. "It's a short sword, think you can use that. I pull it out, something immediately sticks out. "It's made of wood." Ryan throws open the door, a form of a blob launches in, my eyes widen.

I duck and roll.

_This is not what I was hoping. _The slimes chase me, one of them a quick little pink one. My legs spotted with burns when getting touched by them, I didn't know they knew how to ambush. I jump, reaching out my hand. Ivy answers my call, moving to meet ends. I grab tight, my feet landing on the rocky wall. The slimes stick just below me, rolling their bodies up the boulder. "Go away!" I scramble up the Boulder, jumping over it. The walls of the cavern restrict me to go left or right, only straight. I steal a look back, the slimes make it to the top, hopping off. I grip my dirt rod, waving it at the ceiling. It shakes, cracks, collapses. Some slimes get buried, but more keep coming. _The ones in the jungle never bothered us, what's with these. _The day is beautiful, barely any clouds in the sky. I was hoping for a stroll through this area, but at least this means that I will get out of this cavern before dark.

I use the rod again, the floor below me ruptures. Large vines and stems grow out, constricting the compacted soil. I'm carried up, toward the light outside. I look back, the floor below me rumbling. The slimes latch onto the growing stems, the green skin start to bubble where they touch. My head rises above the grass, mushrooms clinging to the edge pass my face. The sun greets me, it's warmth comforting. The slimes eat through the vines, the floor below me falls. I reach out, grabbing the lip. A cloud of dust erupts out of the cavern as the chunk hits the floor below. I struggle up, noises of the slimes below die out. I manage to get up. _I lost the rod, father is going to be mad._ My bag still stay latched to my side, the map safely tucked inside. I look back. The cavern stretches toward the horizon, where the capital is still visible. _Is this what it's going to be like all the way there?_


	5. Chapter 5

My eyes feel sore, Fire crackles in the hearth. Ryan plays around with a vial, stirring around a red liquid. I clutch my head, everything I hear sounds fuzzy. He looks over, setting the vial over a burner. "You're awake." Something flashes through my mind, a memory that feels alien. _Swords clashing, fire blazing about me. A warrior of a different colored armor from me lets out a gurgling cry, his sword slashing at my head. I duck, slipping my blade through his heart. I yank the blade out, striking into another enemy rushing at me. One club to the head, and he drops to the floor. Lighting flashes overhead, two massive armies clash. _The memory cuts short, something happens. The last part, something of a shadow casted over the battle, almost everyone looking up. Ryan starts to open the front door, I feel a grip of fear. "Wait, what about!" He swings he door wide open, scaring a squirrel away from the porch. He stretches, shadows of trees line his face. "So." He looks over, I struggle up from my awkward sleeping position. "What are you going to do now." I feel a sudden jolt. _I have no idea where I came from. _"Uh, is there a town nearby?" He shuts the door, taking the vial off the burner. "Yeah, what do you plan to do there." I wipe dust off my pants, thinking about his question. "I guess, get some answers." Ryan walks past me, opening a closet. "Well, that's easy." I feel confused. "Wait why?" He finds what he's looking for, yanking out a long object shrouded in cloth. "Well, I found you napping on a battlefield, with scars and broken armor." "But what were you doing there?" Ryan starts unwrapping the cloth, something shiny underneath. "Mushrooms grow where battles were, I'll let you decide why. _Ew. _But a bigger question hangs. "How long ago was this battle?" Ryan looks toward the ceiling, his mouth silently counting. "A few months." I feel uneasy, the thought of being unconscious that long is unsettling. "You think I have been out for a few months?" "Best guess I have." Ryan tosses the cloth into the closet, a sword casted of iron sets in his hands. "Here, take this with you." He sets it in my hands, it's heavier than I would have thought. "But, why?" "Well, I don't need it, and unless you want to fend for yourself with your fists, this is your best bet." He shuts the closet door, making his way for the front door. He grabs his bow and quiver along the way, slipping the strap over his head. "Come on, lets get you to a friendly location." "But why are you helping me." Ryan stops halfway from opening the door, looking back at me. "You need to get a haircut, that bush on your head isn't doing you any good."

The world outside is the exact opposite of last night, everything is calm and peaceful. No signs of the ground being disturbed. Small birds fly quickly through the forest, Ryan circles to the back of the house. He grabs a few more things, before surveying the landscape. "Come on, this way." I follow him, trying to find where I can fit my newly acquired weapon.


	6. Chapter 6

p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';""Man, this sucks." I pace around, thinking. "I've lost my rod. I have no idea where I am." My hands clenched a rather unhelpful map, its not easy to us when there are no landmarks. "And this stupid thing." I chuck the creased parchment, it bounces softly off a tree trunk. I Chofu out at the sky above. "Come on world, do something new, you seem good at that!" I don't know who I'm shouting at, I just need to vent. I've been in this stupid forest for days, only the sun gives me a sense of direction. If I had my dirt rod, I could make a pillar straight up into the sky, let me see where I am. But it's been gone for a while now, and none of the branches here are low enough for me to grab. This is nothing like the jungle, and it's pissing me off. /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; min-height: 13.1px;" /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"Zombies and small demon eyes whirl around me. They're never interested in me, they're searching for something more appetizing. I slap a zombie on the face, shouting at it. It only groans, shuffling away. It's a new moon tonight, the only light is a small fire I made. It hurts to burn wood, but I'd rather feel bad for a dead tree than sit around in the dark. I pace around, picking up my map. "Well?" I look up toward the sky again, looking at the stars. "Where is this new challenge?" Nothing happens, I scoff. "That's what I thought." /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; min-height: 13.1px;" /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"The ground rumbles, I freeze. My back shivers, I whip around. Something watches me, somewhere between the towering trees. I spot it, a dark sillouette of something round, and big. I duck away, keeping my sight on the intruder. "What are you doing here." I whisper, trying to find some cover. "I bet your boss sent of you." The massive eye floats forward, phasing through the trees. The firelight reflects of its pupil, maroon colored blood drips out of hanging veins on its back. It stares at the fireplace, iris pulsating. I sit uncomfortably behind a tree, waiting for it to leave. It's an eye, one of the cult of Cthulhu. Many like it move through the world, looking for the only person that can stop them. I don't know what it's doing here, but it roars. Teeth behind the pupil snap together, the eye rams into my fire. It throws hot coals in every direction, extinguishing the flames. "Gee thanks." The eye suddenly arcs up, looking past me. It sees something, something that makes it hiss. It flies off, moving quickly. /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; min-height: 13.1px;" /p  
p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"I stand up, wondering where it's going. It's sillouette disappears from behind the tree line, continuing toward something. I hesitate. "Didn't father say something about those eyes?" I tense up, realizing something. I grab my stuff quickly, setting off to follow the eye. If it's moving that quickly, it's spotted something it needs to destroy, so it's either another fire, or them./p 


	7. Chapter 7

I lean back, sliding down the hillside. Ryan keeps a steady pace ahead of me, his hands grabbing anything colorful or potent off the ground. His satchel filled to the brim with different jars, each holding a different type of herb. I keep my sword near my chest, it's copper blade glints off the falling sun. Everything here is sloped, with the mountains in the distance acting like waves, capped with snow.

"So," I pick up the pace, almost getting to Ryan's side. "Why do you live out in the wilderness, away from anything?"

Ryan grabs a stick off the ground, sticking it with others in a side pocket on his satchel. After his action, he eyes me up, frowning.

"You ask a lot of personal questions, do you know that?" I shrug, accidentally kicking a small flower. "I don't remember anything, I'm just following you because our were the first living thing I saw, besides a rabbit." Ryan grins, almost chuckling. "I guess that fair, and I'm fine with answering your questions, I like sharing knowledge with others."

On the way to this village Ryan speaks of, we passed through many different areas. High hilltops, dense forests, caverns and lakes. There were many vases stashed in cave we passed by, Ryan said they were remnants of soldier's rations, and that I'm free to search them. They were full of life savings, weapons, potions, armaments. I couldn't hold most of what I found, but I held onto most of it. But everywhere we went, there were signs of past conflicts, entire cultures lost, destroyed. Shattered houses, burned villages, eroded statues and furnaces. And everywhere we went, there were always slimes. They hop around aimlessly, their colors vary. Ryan spoke about how they are nature's clean up crew, digesting anything dead, or sometimes alive. Any we passed by took some interest in us. Ryan now carries a jar of gel in his satchel, it fills up as the day goes on. I leap back, swinging my sword out in front of me. It slashes through a blue slime's front, making a bubbling gash. Ryan fires off an arrow, it's sharpened tip creates a cavity through the slime's body. With a final stab, it explodes, and with a squishing noise, gel flies everywhere. Ryan scoops up the pieces, I eye the sun worryingly. It's starting to hug the mountain tops, the atmosphere interference making the sky turn orange.

"Hey shouldn't we be worried about nightfall?" Ryan picks his arrow off the grassy ground wiping the blue gelatin off it. "I wouldn't celebrate just yet, but we're here." I look back down, scanning the landscape. "Where?"

Ryan grabs my shoulder, pointing me downward. I have to look past the floor, down a deep ravine. Waterfalls cascade down its stony walls, vines grow off hanging outcrops. And near the bottom, lies thousands of lights.

"Woah." Ryan taps my shoulder, suggestively nodding. "So, how do we get down there?"

Ryan walks to the edge of the ravine, for a fleeting moment I thought he was going to jump. But he reaches down, pulling up a rope. He holds it up. "I hope you're good a climbing."

My boot covered feet finally land on solid ground again, I rub my hands opener to get in I any fibers. Ryan hops off the last few feet, he lands on placed boards. Above, star begin to appear, the sun says its last goodbyes to our side of the world until morning. After my ears adjusted, they are filled with voices and noises. We stand on a form of bridge, I peer out over the edge. There are a lot of buildings, their formation is chaotic and random. Boardwalks and ladders connect them together, ropes hang down everywhere. Torches and campfires burn, giving the vertical town an orange glow. People hustle about, moving over bridges and inside houses. All of their clothes are tattered, their skin and faces scream bad hygiene. But they look content, and some are even happy. Buckets are dumped into waterfalls, caves are mined out for extra room, shops and businesses filled with activity, goods being sold on the raised streets. Ryan points me in my final direction, toward a rather large building a few floor down, sticking out of the rock wall, with a balcony filled with tables and people.

"If I were you, I would start there for information." I sigh. "You're leaving now, aren't you." Ryan laughs, some people look up from their business to stare at us. "Goodness no, I'm not traveling home in the dark." I stick my sword in its scabbard. "Can I just come with you then?"

Ryan shakes his head, his quiver filled with arrows. "Sorry, there is someone I need to meet here, you wouldn't be welcome."

Ryan walks past me, climbing down a ladder attached to the board walk. Before his head disappears, he looks back up.

"I hope you find what you're looking for."

I wave. "You too."

He nods, before climbing down, leaving me behind. I feel silly, standing alone, so I begin walking, trying to find my way toward that building Ryan pointed out. I sill can believe I'm here, such a lively place, compared to the past two days for me. Moonlight floods into the ravine, I let out a sigh. Who am I?


End file.
